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Forbes, Reuters

Forbes Unveils List of Highest-Paid Actresses — But How Do They Fare vs. the Men?

Aug 20, 2015  •  Post A Comment

Forbes magazine has just taken the wraps off its rankings of the highest-paid actresses of 2015, and few industry watchers will be surprised to learn that Jennifer Lawrence came in at No. 1.

Lawrence “may have been made famous by ‘The Hunger Games,’ but she’s certainly not short of bread: The 25-year-old banked $52 million pre-tax over 12 months to be the best paid actress — $16.5 million more than second-ranked Scarlett Johansson, who earned $35.5 million,” Forbes reports.

As Forbes did this year with its earlier ranking of actors, the publication cast a global net for the first time, with only one non-American actress, Bingbing Fan of China, making the list. She came in at No. 4 with $21 million.

“Fan, who joins the ranking thanks to roles in movies such as ‘The White-Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom’ and endorsements with Chopard and L’Oreal, is likely best-known to U.S. cinema-goers for her role in ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past,'” Forbes notes.

Fan came in behind No. 3 Melissa McCarthy, who earned $23 million. Fifth on the list was Jennifer Aniston with $16.5 million.

Reuters notes that the highest-paid actresses didn’t come close to what their male counterparts are making.

“Lawrence, who won an Oscar in 2013 for her role in ‘Silver Linings Playbook,’ also had income for being the face of French fashion and beauty company Dior but her combined earnings came nowhere close to the estimated $80 million of ‘Iron Man’ star Robert Downey Jr. He topped Forbes list earlier in August of the highest-paid male actors,” the Reuters story reports. The story notes that a highly publicized hacking attack on Sony revealed that Lawrence “earned a lower cut of profits from the movie ‘American Hustle’ than her male counterparts.”

Reuters adds: “Forbes noted that only four of the women on this year’s highest-paid list, which takes into account earnings from movies, television, endorsements and other sources, made more than $20 million while 21 male actors reached that level.”

hunger games poster-jennifer lawrence

One Comment

  1. To make the big bucks you have to be the star that brings in the ticket buyers. She was not the draw for American Hustle. If she doesn’t get the big cut of profits for Hunger Games, she has a legitimate complaint. She is the star and the draw for that franchise and should be paid accordingly. How was Melissa McCarthy’s cut on Spy? Did she the biggest cut and was the percentage similar to others who carry a comedy? If not she has a complaint. She was by far the draw for that film and deserves every penny she gets.

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